The Green Beret and his Family

The Green Berets are legendary.

A movie was made and a hit song recorded, extolling the bravery of these extraordinary military warriors. Yet a Green Beret’s daily life is deeper and more profound than can be captured in a film or memorable song. These heroes are not a creation of Hollywood; they are fighting real enemies, facing real physical and emotional hardship, and laying their lives on the line every day.

Approximately 6,500 Soldiers make up the U.S. Army Special Forces; they are among the better-known Special Operators in the American military. They are among the best of the best in the American military services, representing just 1% of all of our country’s military forces. Each has undergone two years of intensive and extensive training (after serving a minimum of three years regular Army service), and each has learned at least one foreign language. It is a prestigious, dangerous, and unpredictable job. Special Forces Soldiers maintain a proud tradition of not seeking recognition for their deeds while recognizing that they are accountable to their superiors, their colleagues, and the American public.

These “Quiet Professionals” represent 62% of the casualties in the Special Operations Community since 9/11, and the need for their special brand of military expertise has never been greater. Green Berets will be on duty in dozens of countries around the world tonight, training indigenous armies, forging strong relationships with local communities, fighting heavily-armed rebel forces, and providing a first line of defense in our fight against oppression and terrorism.

The cornerstone of the Special Forces capability is the Operational Detachment-Alpha, a highly trained team of 12 Green Berets who take on sensitive missions requiring quick maneuvering, extraordinary skill, and uncommon bravery. An unknown future awaits every Green Beret, as it does for his Family back at home. Spouses and children are never far from their Soldier’s next deployment or extensive training, and often the Families are not told where their Green Beret is going, what he is doing, or when he’ll be home.

Where in the regular “Big Army,” deployments usually are one day overseas, two days at home, whereas the Special Forces deployment rotation is one day deployed, 0.69 days home. This means that a Green Beret Soldier with a 15-year-old child has been home for only 5 years of that child’s life.

Green Beret spouses and children face a unique hardship. A wife is proud of her Soldier’s service to his country, and she understands what it takes to be a military wife. But the uncertainty and fear can be overwhelming, and Families rely on the camaraderie and support of other Special Forces Families.

Children do not have the choice that their parents did: children do not sign up for a military family life. Their father’s absence weighs heavily on them, and each transition is difficult. A returning Green Beret comes home to a Family needing a husband and father, and while the joy of a reunion is real, it has to be approached with care. These pressures, at home or downrange, increase as deployment rotations tighten.

The global security environment remains uncertain, and the Special Forces will continue to serve a leading role in waging unconventional warfare and building partner nation capacity. The Green Berets motto, “De Oppresso Liber”, means “To Free the Oppressed”; that motto reminds us all that freedom is not free.

When our nation’s Green Berets are asked if they can answer the call, they do not hesitate. These “Quiet Professionals” answer the call by deploying around the world to liberate the oppressed, prevent terrorism, carry out rescue missions, and more to protect our freedoms. While they are gone, their Families are serving too, and they are constantly wondering what new danger their Green Beret will face each day. Special Forces Charitable Trust was created to help Special Forces Soldiers, their Families, and the entire Special Forces Community. As conflict in the world has increased and deployments have become more frequent, the Special Forces Community’s need for support has risen in correlation. When these same Special Forces Soldiers and their Families call upon us, Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT), for support, we need to be able to consistently answer that call – as they never cease doing so for our nation. It is our duty and our privilege to assist them, but the extent of our support is reliant on the altruism of patriotic Americans.

When these same Special Forces Soldiers and their Families call upon us, Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT), for support, we need to be able to consistently answer that call – as they never cease doing so for our nation. It is our duty and our privilege to assist them, but the extent of our support is reliant on the altruism of patriotic Americans.

The need to answer the call has never been greater, and we ask each and every one of you to answer the call too by helping SFCT provide meaningful and sustainable support to these Soldiers and their Families. When these men carry out their missions, they know that SFCT supports their Families back at home.

Special Forces Charitable Trust provides this support through our three program areas: